Ghee is a form of clarified butter. Water and milk solids are removed from ghee, therefore it is more concentrated in fat than butter.

In Indian and Pakistani cultures, it has been used for thousands of years. Originally, ghee was created to prevent butter from spoiling during warm weather.

It is also used in alternative medicines such as Ayurveda, where it is known as ghrita.

Ghee does not require refrigeration because all of its milk solids have already been removed. Therefore, it can be kept at room temperature for several weeks. Like coconut oil, it can become solid when kept at cold temperatures.

How is it made?
Butter is heated up to separate the liquid and milk solid portions from the fat. This is how ghee is made.

First, butter is boiled until its liquid evaporates. Its milk solids settle at the bottom of the pan and turn golden to dark brown.

Next, the remaining oil cools until it becomes warm. It is then strained before being transferred to jars or containers.

Ghee vs Butter
Both butter and ghee contain almost 100% of calories from fat.

Ghee is more concentrated than butter. Gram for gram, it provides slightly more butyric acid and other short-chain saturated fats. Studies suggest that these fats can reduce inflammation, promote gut health, and inhibit cancer growth.

Ghee is also higher in conjugated linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated fat that may help increase fat loss.

Ghee is completely free of the milk sugar lactose and the milk protein casein, whereas butter contains small amounts of each. Ghee is a great alternative for those who have allergies or sensitivities to these dairy components.

Heating ghee produces a lot less of the toxic compound acrylamide than heating vegetable and seed oils. Ghee also has a very high smoke point. At 485 F, its smoke point is much higher than that of butter’s which is 350 F.

People whose LDL cholesterol levels tend to increase in response to high saturated fat intake may want to limit their ghee or butter intake to one or two tablespoons per day.

Another concern about ghee is that during production at high heat, its cholesterol may become oxidized. Oxidized cholesterol is linked to an increased risk of several diseases, including heart disease.

As more research is done, we will begin to learn more about the various health benefits and side effects of ghee.

Ariana Marisolis a contributing staff writer for REALfarmacy.com. She is an avid nature enthusiast, gardener, photographer, writer, hiker, dreamer, and lover of all things sustainable, wild, and free. Ariana strives to bring people closer to their true source, Mother Nature. She graduated The Evergreen State College with an undergraduate degree focusing on Sustainable Design and Environmental Science. Follow her adventures on Instagram.